WO2013178977A1

WO2013178977A1 - Hairstyling tool

Info

Publication number: WO2013178977A1
Application number: PCT/GB2013/000243
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pushpa Kara
Original assignee: Pushpa Kara
Priority date: 2012-05-28
Filing date: 2013-05-28
Publication date: 2013-12-05
Also published as: GB2517625A; GB2517625B; GB201209423D0; GB2502525A

Abstract

A hairstyling tool (12) comprises hook and/or loop material (22) suitable hook and loop fastener on the outer surface of the tool, and bristles (24) protruding through the hook and/or loop material. The tool is preferably removable attachable to a handle (14). Also described is a hair brush and roller (10) comprising a tool as described and a handle, and a roller for setting hair which comprises bristles and a handle to which the roller is releasably attachable.

Description

HAIRSTYLING TOOL

The present_, invention relates to a hairstyling tool, and in particular a hairstyling tool which can be used for both blow- drying and setting hair.

' Blow-drying and setting are comirionly used methods for styling hair. Both methods typically involve applying a combination of

_^.moisture and heat, for example by a hand-held dryer or floor- standing dryer.

Blow-drying involves brushing hair into a style under heat from a hand-held dryer. Thus, for example, after shampooing wet hair is towel dried, a styling aid, such as mouse, gel or spray, is optionally applied, the hair is moulded into the desired shape with hands or a comb, and the hand-held dryer and brush work the hair in unison section by section. Hair brushes are available in many different sizes and shapes, with bristles made from both natural and synthetic materials.

Setting is a method of styling hair which involves curling hair around rollers and allowing it to dry in place around the roller, optionally under heat from a floor standing dryer. In use, hair is pulled tight and curled around the roller and held in position around the roller by an array of barbs,^' grips or similar protuberances on the roller surface. The roller itself is then held in position on the head of the user by a clip or pin. Setting rollers of different sizes and shapes are available, according to the desired size and shape of curl.

In a professional salon a range of hairdressing equipment is available to the styli'sts, including a variety of different brushes and rollers for styling hair. However, for an individual wishing to style their hair at home a variety of styling equipment can be expensive to purchase and 2013/000243

inconvenient to use.

The present invention seeks to provide a hairstyling tool which can conveniently be used for both blow-drying and setting hair,

According to the present invention there is provided a hairstyling tool which comprises hook and/or loop material suitable for a hook and loop fastener on the outer surface, of the tool, and bristles protruding through the hook and/or loop material.

The tool of the present invention preferably comprises or is attachable to a handle. More preferably, a plurality of tools of the present invention can be attached to and removed from the same handle. The plurality of tools may be the same or different, for example in size, shape and/or material. For^' example, a plurality of tools may be provided which comprise a styling range of different hairstyling tools-..

Thus, the handle may comprise a engaging member which extends longitudinally from the handle for insertion into a corresponding channel in the tool. The engaging member may engage with the, tool by means of projections on the member which engage with corresponding projections on the inner surface of the channel of the. tool.

In certain embodiments the tool 'may be rotatable on the handle. The tool may be manually rotatable, or rotatable through an electric motor With suitable power source.

The present invention provides a hairstyling tool which comprises hook and/or loop material and bristles. The combination of hook and/or loop material and bristles advantageously serves different functions. - 3 -

The bristles, may be used to brush larger hairs in the usual manner, for example during blow-drying.. However, the hook and/or loop material simultaneously brushes the smaller hairs, thereby giving the hair an improved appearance compared to brushing with the bristles alone. In addition, the hook^' and/or loop material acts as a grip allowing the head to also be used as a roller for setting hair.

Thus, for example, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tool is attached to a handle and is used to brush and style the hair during blow-drying. The bristles brush and style the larger hairs, and the hook and/or loop material the smaller hairs. The tool can then be removed from the handle, and used as a roller to set the hair. The hair is set in position by curling it around the hook and/or loop material which acts as a grip. In preferred^' embodiments, the hook and/or loop material also allows the tool to remain in position in the hair of the user without the need for additional pins or clips. However, pins or clips may of course be used if desired. Another similar or different tool can then be attached to the handle by the user, and ^"the process repeated.

The' .tool of the present invention may be a variety of shapes. For example, the tool may be substantially cylindrical, flat, elongate, or any other shape suitable for use as a hair brush head and roller. The tool of the present invention may also be a variety of sizes, according to the · needs of the user. In this way, a user may conveniently have a single handle to which a variety of tools of different shapes and sizes may be attached, which as discussed above can be used to brush the hair during blow-drying, and then left in the hair for setting whilst a new tool is attached to the handle and the process repeated. Rollers for setting hair come in a variety of. sizes, typically from approximately 1cm inside diameter upwards. Thus, the tool of the present invention when attached to a handle may appear smaller relative to the handle than is conventional . for a hair brush. However, maintaining a conventionally sized handle has the advantage of improved control for the user, compared to a more proportionate but smaller handle.

The body of the tool of the present invention may be made of any suitable material, such as a plastics material, natural or synthetic rubber, or wood.

The hook and/or loop material used in the present invention may be any hook and/or loop material which is suitable for use in a hook and loop fastener, for example as sold under the trade mark Velcro^®. The hook and/or loop material is typically made from a plastics material, such as nylon, polyester or PTFE However, the hook and/or loop material may also be made from a natural material. Natural materials, such as animal hair, are typically less damaging to hair than synthetic materials.

The tool of the present invention may comprise hook material, or loop material, or both hook and loop material suitable for use in a hook and ^' lodp fastener. However, preferred embodiments comprise hook material as this generally better for gripping hair than loop material alone.

The hook and/or loop material is positioned on the outer surface of the body of the tool so as to engage with the- hair of the user. The hook and/or loop material is typically applied on a backing material, for example on a strip of flexible material, such as fabric. The hook and/or loop material may extend over a minor or major portion of the outer surface of the body of the tool, provided that sufficient hook _' and/or loop material is present to allow it to act as both a brush and as a grip for hair to attach to when used as a setting roller. For example, if the body of the tool is cylindrical then the . hook and/or loop material may extend substantially around the entire circumference of the body of . the tool, or may instead be positioned around only a portion of the circumference, for example in opposing strips. For a tool having a flat body, the hook and/or loop material may be positioned on the opposing sides of the body, or only on one side. The hook and/or loop material can be in any suitable pattern or combination, such as stripes of different orientations,, "zig-zags", or a spiral. Hook material and loop material may be used in any suitable combination, for example in alternate sections or blocks.

The tool of the present invention · also comprises bristles protruding through the hook and/or loop material. The bristles may be conventional in the art of hair brushes, and may be of any suitable material, natural or synthetic. However, natural materials, such as animal hair, are typically less damaging to hair than synthetic materials. The bristles may extend around a minor or major portion of ^' the outer . surface of the body of the tool. For example, - if the body of the tool is cylindrical then the bristles may extend substantially around the entire circumference of the body of the tool, or may ^{^}instead be positioned around only a portion of the circumference, for example in opposing strips corresponding to strips of hook and/or loop material. For a tool having a flat body,, the bristles may be positioned on the opposing sides of the body, .or only on one side. The bristles can be in any suitable pattern or combination, such as stripes of different orientations, "zig-zags", or a spiral.

The bristles protrude, through the hook and/or loop material. .Thus, the bristles may protrude through the backing material » itself of the hook and/or loop material, or may protrude through gaps between individual strips or sections of^' hook and/or loop material.

The present invention also provides a hair brush and roller comprising a tool of the present invention and a handle, wherein the tool is removably attachable to the handle. As described above, the hair brush and roller may comprise a plurality of, tools which are removably attachable to the handle, which plurality of tools may be the same or different.--

The present invention further- provides a roller for setting hair which comprises bristles, and a handle to which the roller is releasably attachable. The roller may be of any suitable shape or size for use for setting hair, and may include a plurality of rollers across a styling range.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a hair brush and roller comprising a tool of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows the hair brush and roller of Figure 1 with a section of the tool and handle cut away; and

Figure 3 shows the hair brush and roller of Figures 1 and 2 with the tool detached from the handle.

Turning to the Figures, a hair brush and roller 10 comprises a tool 12 of the present invention and^' a handle 14. The tool 12 is removable from and reattachable to the handle 14, as is described in more detail below with reference to Figures 2 and The tool 12 has a substantially cylindrical body 16, with bevels 18 at either end to help retain hair within the tool 12. However, the tool 12 may be any suitable shape or size, according to requirements. The distal end 20 of the tool 12 is sealed (not shown) to prevent hair from entering.

The tool 12 comprises hook material 22 (shown as shorter curled lines) suitable for a hook and loop fastener on the outer surface of the body of the head 12. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the. hook material 22 extends substantially around the entire circumference of the tool 12. However, in other embodiments the hook material 22 may extend only partially over the surface of the body of the tool 12, for example in opposing strips. As described above, the tool 12 may alternatively or additionally comprise loop material (not shown) in place of the hook material 22.

The tool 12 also comprises bristles 24 (shown as longer straight lines) which protrude through the hook material 22. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the bristles 24 extend substantially around the entire circumference of the tool 12. However, in other embodiments the bristles 24 may extend only partially over the surface of the body of the head, for example in opposing strips.

The tool 12 is removably attached to the handle 14. The tool 12 may be detached from the handle 14 by pressing release button 26 and a different tool (not shown) attached... In this · way, a plurality of tools (not shown) of the present invention can be attached to and removed from the same handle 14. The plurality of tools may be the same or different,' for example in size, shape and/or material.

Figure 2 shows the hair brush and roller 10 of Figure 1 with a section cut away to show details of the mechanism- by which the tool 12, or a different tool (not shown) can be detached and reattached to the handle 14. Figure 3 shows the tool 12 detached from, the handle 1 ·.

Thus, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the handle 14 comprises a engaging member 28 which extends longitudinally from the handle 14 for insertion into a corresponding channel 30 in the tool 12. The member 28 engages with the tool 12 by means of projections 32 at the distal end of the member 28 which engage with stops 34 on the inner surface of the channel 30 of the tool 12. The member 28 comprises a pair of resilient longitudinal extensions which, to attach the tool 12 to the handle 14, can be moved towards each other by release button 25 and inserted into channel 30 past the stops 34. When the release button 26 is released, the member 28 extensions spring apart, and abut against stops 34 thus engaging the tool 12 with the handle 14, as shown in Figure 2. To release the tool 12 from the handle 14, the- same operation is performed in reverse.

In use the tool 12 is attached to the handle 14 and is used to brush and style the hair during blow-drying. The bristles 24 brush and style the larger hairs, and the hook material 22 the smaller hairs. The tool 12 can then be removed from the handle 14 by pressing release button 26 and pulling the tool 12 from ' the handle 14. The too.1 12 can then be used as a roller to set the hair. The hair is set in position by curling it around the hook material 22 which acts as a grip, and also allows the tool 12 to remain in position in the hair of the use -without the need for additional pins or clips. Another similar tool 12 or different head (not shown) can then be . atta'ched to the handle 14 by the user, by pressing the release button 26, inserting engaging member 28 into Channel 30 and releasing the button 26, and the process repeated.

Claims

1. A hairstyling tool which comprises hook and/or loop material suitable for a hook and loop fastener on the outer surface of the tool, and bristles . protruding through the hook and/or loop material.^*

2. A tool according to claim 1 which comprises or attachable to a handle.

3. A tool according to claim 2 which is removably attachable to the handle by an engaging member which extends longitudinally from the handle for insertion into a corresponding channel in the tool. . A tool according to claim 3 wherein the engaging member engages with the tool by means of projections on the member which engage with ^' corresponding projections . on the inner surface of the channel of the tool.

5. A tool according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the tool and handle are disengaged by means of a release button.

6. A tool according to any one of claims 2 to 5 which is rotatable on the handle.

7. A tool according to claim 6 wherein the tool is manually rotatable, or-rotatable through an electric motor with a suitable power source.

8. tool according to any preceding claim which is substantially cylindrical.

9. A tool according to any preceding claim wherein the hook and/or loop material extends over a major portion of the outer surface of the body of the tool.

10. A tool according to claim 9 · wherein the tool is substantially, cylindrical and the hook and/or loop material extends substantially around the circumference of the body of the tool . '^■ .

11. A tool according to any preceding claim which comprises hook material.

12. A tool according to any preceding claim wherein the bristles extend around major portion of the outer surface of the body of the tool.

13. A tool according to claim 12 wherein the tool is cylindrical and the bristles extend substantially around the circumference of the body of the tool.

14. A tool according to any preceding claim wherein the » bristles protrude through the backing material of the hook and/or loop material, or through gaps between individual strips or sections. of hook and/or loop material.

15. A hair brush and roller comprising a 'tool according to. any preceding claim and a handle.

16. A hair brush and roller according to claim 15 which comprises a plurality of tools which are removably attachable to the same handle, which plurality of tools are the same or different.

17. A hair brush and roller according to claim 16 wherein the plurality of tools are different across a styling range.

18. A hairstyling tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. , " A hairbrush and roller substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. A roller for setting hair which comprises bristles, and a handle to which the roller is releasably attachable.

21. A roller according to claim 20 which comprises a plurality of rollers across a styling range.